On Wednesday, October 11, India played Afghanistan in their second encounter of the ongoing ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023. In a match at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium, India overcame a 273-run goal in just 35 overs with the loss of just two wickets thanks to captain Rohit Sharma’s record-breaking 131 and Virat Kohli’s 55 not out.
The hosts elected to bat first, and the Men in Blue limited them to 272 runs in 50 overs. Azmatullah Omarzai contributed 62 runs, and captain Hashmatullah Shahidi scored the most runs for them with 80. 121 runs were accumulated by the pair for the fourth wicket.
When Rahmat Shah was dismissed, Afghanistan had been reduced to 63 for 3 in 13.1 overs. The pair assisted in raising the score to a fighting total. Shardul Thakur, who was playing for India in the second ODI World Cup game in place of Ravichandran Ashwin, instructed Shah to return to the dugout.
Shardul defeated Shah by trapping him in front of the wicket in India’s inaugural ODI World Cup encounter. Prior to getting the wicket, however, Shardul garnered attention for a sensational catch of Rahmanullah Gurbaz close to the boundary line on the fourth ball of Hardik Pandya’s 13th over.
Gurbaz attempted to make a powerful shot, but Shardul successfully made the catch close to the boundary line before advancing the ball as he crossed the rope. He swiftly regained his footing before removing Gurbaz.
Following India’s six-wicket victory against Australia on Sunday, October 10, fielding coach T. Dilip named Virat Kohli the best fielder for India against Afghanistan and awarded him a medal for his outstanding performance in the match.
After India defeated Afghanistan, T. Dilip addressed the team in the locker room, saying, “Today, we spoke about, in the huddle, we spoke about intensity, and again, we fielded at 2 o’clock. Everyone did a fantastic job, in my opinion. Excellent work, men.
Before asking for the names of some of the other top performers, the fielding coach praised Shardul’s efforts on the field. “I think Shardul’s catch there was fantastic, to start with,” he added. Shardul has a several traits, including the fact that he dives frequently. After his spell was through, he immediately found himself in the hotspot and had to field the following ball. Outstanding work.
We are aware that Hardik was excellent there, making an effort and saving runs. KD (Kuldeep Yadav) made a superb catch. KD was consistently cutting off the angles, even in the final game, in my opinion. Excellent work. In typical VK (Virat Kohli) fashion… It’s amazing how you attack the ball by backing up and approaching the stumps. Ishan, wonderful effort, guy; excellent work as usual; top-notch,” he continued.
Finally announcing Shardul Thakur as the winner, the Indian fielding coach said, “But today, this (best fielder) award goes to Shardul Thakur.” Virat was astounded by what he had just heard when Dilip declared Shardul as the medal winner, and his stunned response quickly went viral.
Watch: Virat Kohli’s reaction after Shardul Thakur wins the best fielder medal against Afghanistan goes viral
After winning the medal in the first match, Virat was requested to present Shardul with the award, which he did in a humorous way.
The dismissal of Rahmanullah Gurbaz came, in my opinion, at a crucial time because Hardik took a chance by throwing a bouncer and we were in need of a wicket. And I’m thrilled to convert that catch, you know. Since I’ve been on this team for a while, I’ve gotten to know the guys really well.
I feel at ease in this changing area. Since there is no such thing as seniors and juniors in the changing room, everyone has gotten along so well that there is no sense of apprehension, Shardul stated after earning the medal.
